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"What would the two guests like to eat?"
The old man, The Store owner, spoke gently, pointing to the notice board at the entrance, which listed today's recommended ingredients.
"The signature dish of this establishment is sashimi. If the two guests wish to try it, you may select the ingredients yourselves from the fish tank."
Amamiya Natsuki looked towards the corner. Inside the glass fish tank, several fish could be seen swimming, silent.
"Hoo…"
Smelling the aroma of oil in the air, Juju exhaled softly, feeling a little relieved.
The Store seemed very safe.
The customers were all ordinary old grandpas and Grandma, which made people feel friendly.
She had been worried before if there were only kaitai in the town and no living people.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case. There were other humans in the town, but they were all just old people.
Most elderly people have difficulty moving around, so it's normal for them not to go out, right?
She just didn't know where Chika-chan was…
"Wait."
Juju pursed her pink lips, suddenly realizing something was off. She couldn't help but look up at Amamiya Natsuki, "Why hasn't Natsuki spoken at all?"
Amamiya Natsuki was looking at the fish tank in the corner, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Is there a problem?"
Following Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, Juju curiously looked towards the fish tank.
It was an ordinary glass fish tank, with live fish inside, clearly ingredients for customers to choose from. A white object seemed to be floating on the surface of the water.
Splash.
Water splashed.
A fish leaped vigorously from the fish tank, but unfortunately, it fell back into the fish tank after only jumping a little.
"Eh, it's actually a koi?"
Juju recognized the fish that jumped out of the water at a glance.
A question mark appeared above her head.
Since when could koi be made into sashimi?
Is it a special way of eating in the town?
It definitely wouldn't taste good, right?
As the saying goes, those who live on the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who live by the water eat from the water. Japan is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and almost all sashimi is made from sea fish. No one uses freshwater fish for sashimi.
Bang.
A strange fish suddenly crashed into the fish tank, seemingly attacking the beautiful koi, startling Juju.
"So ugly!"
Juju blurted out.
Only then did she clearly see that there was a super ugly fish in the fish tank. It had a tentacle on its head, forked at the end like two small lanterns, a huge mouth with jagged teeth, and its back was covered with disgusting, toad-like warts… In short, it was too ugly to look at.
"It looks a bit like an anglerfish."
Juju murmured.
But aren't anglerfish deep-sea fish? Can they be kept in a fish tank?
"…"
In the silence.
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly took a step and walked towards the fish tank.
Juju quickly followed with small steps.
When they reached the fish tank, Juju finally saw what the white object on the water surface was.
A deformed origami airplane, soaked in water.
"This is our paper airplane." Juju instantly recognized it.
Why did it end up in the fish tank?
Did it fly off course?
"Wait, wait a minute!" The pink-haired girl suddenly widened her eyes, a terrible guess forming in her mind. "The paper airplane's material is special; wind, frost, rain, and snow won't stop it. It only turns into an ordinary paper airplane after flying back into its owner's hand."
"The origami airplane is ruined by water, which means it has already become an ordinary paper airplane… Is Chika-chan in the fish tank?!"
Splash.
Water splashed.
Amamiya Natsuki reached into the fish tank and grabbed the strange fish that was chasing and attacking the koi.
The atmosphere in The Store suddenly became heavy.
"This guest…"
The old man, The Store owner's voice deepened.
Juju couldn't help but hold her breath, feeling as if something terrible was about to happen.
Amamiya Natsuki smiled and interrupted, "Manager, I just saw a recruitment advertisement at the door. You're hiring staff, right?"
"That's right." The old man, the Manager, pushed his glasses up his nose and said, "Are you applying for a waiter position?"
"The hourly wage for a waiter is too low," Amamiya Natsuki announced, "I want to apply for Head Chef."
"Eh?"
Juju's pink lips parted slightly, and she stared with wide eyes.
Applying for Head Chef right away, wouldn't that be a bit too unreliable?
Others definitely wouldn't agree!
"Please allow me to introduce myself," Amamiya Natsuki said, neither humble nor arrogant, "I am a gourmet by hobby. You can call me Toriko. Nice to meet you, please guide me."
Juju: "…"
"Toriko" had been serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" for a long time, so she had naturally seen it.
Amamiya Natsuki pointed to Juju beside him: "This is my companion, Komatsu."
"…Who's Komatsu?!"
Juju couldn't help but shout in her heart.
That's clearly a boy's name!
Amamiya Natsuki continued to talk nonsense with a straight face: "To be honest, Komatsu and I have just returned from an adventure in the Dark Continent. We are proficient in various Dark Cuisine cooking methods and have successfully passed the assessment of the Cooking God Competition…"
Juju's mouth twitched.
I haven't been to the Dark Continent with you. That's the world of Hunter x Hunter!
While speaking, Amamiya Natsuki took out a black badge from his game backpack and pinned it to his collar.
Looking closely, the edge of the badge glowed faintly with a purple light, looking extraordinary.
"Manager, do you want to hire me as a chef?"
"…"
[Item: dark chef badge]
[Description: After equipping, you will gain the professional identity of 'Dark Chef'. You can additionally discern the weaknesses of Dark Creatures. You can obtain edible ingredients from Dark Creatures. Your Dark Cuisine will receive special bonuses.]
[This equipment is bound and cannot be used by others.]
[Note: The top ten Restaurants in the world are all in the UK, but all ten of the top Restaurants are French cuisine. What a disgrace! It's time to pick up the Dark Cooking Utensils and wash away the humiliation for British cuisine!]
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the beautiful koi in the fish tank, which was constantly blowing bubbles, trying to attract attention.
A clear prompt appeared before him.
[As expected of Secretary, who has always had good luck, even when she becomes a fish, she is still a koi among fish!]
Then he looked at the anglerfish in his hand.
[An ugly, unwatchable strange fish. You had a flash of inspiration and recognized it as an excellent ingredient for making Dark Cuisine.]
At this moment, as Amamiya Natsuki equipped the 'dark chef badge', how to cut, slice, and debone the strange fish before him—all the cooking techniques naturally emerged in his mind.
From now on, he was the top Dark Chef!
"Manager, just let him try."
A gentle voice suddenly rang out; it was the woman in the kimono sitting in the corner.
Juju looked over at the sound and was so startled she almost screamed, but she quickly covered her pink lips with her hand.
The kimono woman's head actually rotated 180 degrees, her thick black hair swept aside, revealing another female face.
The woman stuck out the tip of her tongue, lightly licking her lips, her eyes looking at Amamiya Natsuki expectantly, "I'm tired of ordinary food. I just wanted to try something new."
Ghost Story! Female Ghost! Or a monster.
In short, definitely not human!
Thinking this, Juju became nervous again. Could it be that the other old men and Grandma in The Store were also monsters?
"…"
The Manager was silent for two seconds, then said:
"Toriko, right? As long as you can get good reviews from the customers, I will agree to hire you as a special chef."
"Little brother, if you can't satisfy me, the consequences will be very serious," the kimono woman smiled, "I hope you don't disappoint me."
"No problem," Amamiya Natsuki said confidently, "I am a gourmet by hobby, you just watch."
Only Juju bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with worry.
"Komatsu," Amamiya Natsuki walked towards the kitchen, carrying the strange fish, "Come help."
"Eh?"
Juju was startled, then realized he was calling her, and quickly scurried after him on her short legs: "Coming, coming."
The Manager continued to be busy, and the other customers continued to drink and chat. The Store seemed to return to its original state.
"What should I do?"
Juju asked softly.
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his head and said:
"Help me wipe my sweat and massage my legs."
"What is that for?!" Juju couldn't help but say, "That has nothing to do with cooking, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki pushed the strange fish forward: "Then you kill the fish?"
Juju quickly stepped back half a step, her small face pale: "…It's too ugly, I can't bring myself to do it."
"Then you help me tie on my apron," Amamiya Natsuki said, winking at her.
"I, I understand."
Juju stood on her tiptoes to help tie the apron.
Although she didn't know what that look meant just now, at a time like this, she needed to be obedient and not cause him trouble.
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze swept over the kitchen counter, quickly picking out a chef's knife. After gripping the knife, his entire demeanor seemed to change.
Looking at the smile on Amamiya Natsuki's face, Juju suddenly felt at ease.
Confident.
That smile was gentle and confident, reassuring.
His gaze fell on the strange fish; Amamiya Natsuki saw nothing else.
The strange fish, identified as a 'Dark Ingredient', felt a sense of dread, but its body could only tremble, no longer showing any arrogance.
Amamiya Natsuki's hand moved, the knife fell, and then it was cooking time.
Juju, having nothing to do, stood by and watched curiously.
She also cooked, but her culinary skills were average, barely enough to fill her stomach. Comparing herself to Amamiya Natsuki, she felt that the boy's movements were like flowing clouds and water, with an indescribable grace.
That ugly, unwatchable strange fish was rapidly being disassembled in his hands: fish bones, fish skin, fish head, fish eyeballs…
If she could understand the previous steps, Juju couldn't understand the seasoning combinations that followed. She always felt that the prepared sauce was indescribable and completely did not conform to normal people's tastes.
In short, time flew by.
"Finished."
Amamiya Natsuki exhaled lightly, the strange fish had been transformed into dishes.
Carrying the dishes to the kimono woman, Amamiya Natsuki set down the tray and bowed slightly with a hand over his chest: "Customer, please taste the ingredients in the order I tell you."
The kimono woman's head rotated, her black hair swept aside, revealing the other face beneath her black hair: "You're the chef, you decide."
Amamiya Natsuki smiled and said:
"Then let's start with the eyeballs. Please dip them in the sauce first."
Juju stood by, unable to help but look at the strange fish's eyeballs.
She didn't know if it was her imagination, but the two eyeballs seemed to glow with a strange light under the lamp.
Eating sashimi was one thing, but eating eyes directly raw without cooking them—how could that possibly taste good?!
Watching the woman pick up her chopsticks and put the fish eye into her mouth, Juju held her breath nervously.
The next moment.
The expression on the two-faced woman's face suddenly froze, and her brows furrowed.
It's, it's over!
Juju's heart immediately leaped to her throat.
The first bite made the customer frown; it was clearly very unpalatable!
"Steady," Amamiya Natsuki reached out and rubbed Juju's small head, "Don't worry."
Amamiya Natsuki's expression remained unchanged, and he said confidently:
"If the first dish is the taste of heaven, the subsequent dishes will be bland. So… don't stop, follow the order I tell you, and keep eating."
Hearing this, the two-faced woman extended her chopsticks and continued to pick up another ingredient.
This time, the woman's brows relaxed slightly.
As the ingredients were sent into her mouth one by one, the woman's expression also changed continuously.
From the initial frown to surprise, then to pleasure… By the time the last bite of ingredient entered her mouth, the woman actually burst into tears.
"Mmm…"
Rapid, heavy breathing echoed in The Store.
The two-faced woman's cheeks were flushed, her breathing rapid, leaning halfway over the table, her eyes misted over, as if her entire being had lost consciousness.
Not only that, even though she was a Female Ghost, she was actually sweating, and the sweat had soaked her yukata, drenching her body and outlining a remarkably graceful figure.
Looking down at the chair, one could clearly see wet marks left by sweat, an incredibly moist extent.
Juju was dumbfounded, mumbling to herself:
"You're kidding, right?"
The process of tasting the dishes was clearly the process of the Female Ghost gradually succumbing, making her very suspicious whether illegal drugs or something similar had been added to the dishes.
The problem was, that was a Female Ghost or a kaitai. Even if illegal drugs were added, it wouldn't be possible to achieve this effect.
Besides, she had watched Amamiya Natsuki cook from beginning to end, and he hadn't added any contraband.
Could there truly be a dish in the world that could make a Female Ghost sweat profusely?
Unbelievable.
"Delicious, too delicious." After several minutes, the woman finally sat upright, raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her face still flushed, "I have never eaten such delicious food."
The two-faced woman looked at Amamiya Natsuki, her eyes as if looking at a rare treasure: "Boy, come home with me. You'll be responsible for cooking from now on, and big sister will let you experience adult pleasures."
If he just put a paper bag over her head, it would indeed be very pleasant, after all, the entire chair was wet.
"Sorry, I refuse," Amamiya Natsuki took Juju's small hand and said seriously, "I'm a lolicon."
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